Soldier butchered in Woolwich, South London in suspected terrorist attack

Two suspected terrorists were shot by armed police after attacking a soldier with a machete-style knife close to military barracks.
 
Several witnesses described seeing a "beheading" while another described seeing a man wearing a Help for Heroes T-shirt being attacked with a machete-style knife and dumped.

Luke Huseyin, 32, who lives in a block of flats on John Wilson Street, Woolwich, close to where the incident happened.

He said: "I was at home and heard a big bang. I looked out of the window and saw a car had crashed.


"It was a blue Vauxhall.

"Then two black guys got out of the car dragging a white guy across the road towards the wall.

"One of the guys had a knife that looked about a foot long and a machete and the other bloke had a gun.

"They started slashing him up with the knife and hitting him in the stomach with the machete.

"I don't think it took long before he was dead.

"There were people passing by who were screaming and running away. I've never seen anything like it.

"I'm still really shaken up.

"When he was dead, they dragged him out into the road and left him there.

"It was strange, they didn't run off, they just stood there as if they were waiting for the police.

"It must've taken about 20 minutes for the police to arrive, I think it must've been because they were waiting for armed police.

"The police officers got out of the car and the two black men ran towards them with the gun.

"The police shot them.

"They fell to the ground. Then a helicopter landed.

"Think it must've been an air ambulance.

"The paramedics got out and I think they were working on the two men to try and keep them alive.

"I don't know if they died, they were taken away in the helicopter.

"A blanket was put over the white guy lying in the road.

"I just can't believe what I saw."

Eyewitness Michael Atley, 28, who works for a building maintenance firm nearby, said the two killers were in a blue BMW 3 series which mounted the pavement and knocked the victim over.

They then beheaded him with either a meat cleaver or a machete before both were shot by police officers who were on the scene within moments.

Police confirmed one man has died who is believed to be the soldier. 

one of the suspected killers